Thought it might be nice to share the tune/set that is our current favourite or focus of learning and helping get us through this strange session-lite* time.
My current favourite is Turnpike Gate, but not the familiar reel. This is an English jig in D from an 18th century manuscript of dance tunes. It is uncanny what a lovely fit this tune is with the old standard Rural Felicity aka Haste To The Wedding. So I’m learning the former and intend practicing them both as a set this weekend.
What are you all learning and/or playing today?
‘lite’ rather than ‘absent’ as a fiddle playing friend and I did actually manage to get jamkazam to work ok for us last night. Woohoo!
My current favourite is Turnpike Gate, but not the familiar reel. This is an English jig in D from an 18th century manuscript of dance tunes.
I play a Turnpike Gate from the Goodman collection, a 9/8 jig FGA BGB A etc Same one ? I play one called ‘O Faith, then I will, says the fiddler’ after it
See similar thread on whistle forum. Learned a set of tunes from the fiddle/flute duet of Marie and Tim McHugh this week, a D version of Sullivan’s march and one Gary Hastings named ‘Lanigan’s other ball’. Simple and effective tunes.
Have several other relatively newly learned ones on rotation, ‘Shaving baby with a spoon’ among them, which I got a while ago from Conal O’ and Maire ní Ghrada. Nicely contrary Hop jig.
Shaving Baby with a Spoon was composed by Patrick Hutchinson, and somewhere I have a recording of him singing some words to it, too. It’s a great tune!
So ‘Shaving baby’ is one of Pat’s. He posted it to thesession.org alright but it has been doing the rounds for a while, I think I heard JOBM play it years ago, among others. I got it off Maire playing with Conal some time before christmas.
Yes it is - Maire got it direct from him, and a bunch of people play it now. The title and song refer to feeding his son when he was a baby… and ending up getting more on the son’s face than in the mouth. I’m pretty sure I recorded it in 2006 at the Northeast Tionol in New York.
Finally got round to transcribing this 4-part jig by Sean O’Driscoll, although far from ideal from a flute / whistle point of few, because of low notes. :
I’ve been working on tunes I don’t plan on bringing to a local session, either because they’re too obscure or they just work better as solo pieces:
Johhny Cope – Always liked hearing this hornpipe but it has a lot of parts to memorize. I have time to work on that now. Based on the Kevin Crawford version on “Music and Mischief.”
Paddy’s Ramble in the Field – Inspired by the Molloy version of this air on his last album “Back to the Island.”
Svampmannen (The Mushroom Man)-- A tune from the Väsen band, by way of the Sylvain Barou setting on the album “Triad” with Padraig Rynne and Donal Lunny. Transposed up to Em from the version Sylvain plays on a Bb (?) flute… I think.
The J.B. Reel – Another tune I’ve always loved and nobody plays it in local sessions. Not a very flute friendly tune, but I do have a keyed flute where it’s easier. Using the sheet music in the Altan tune book and their recorded version for reference.
I don’t know how many of these I’ll actually have down well enough for my own satisfaction by the time this lockdown is over, but at least I’ll have something to do!
I’m trying to get better at tunes I already almost know. Cleaning up my technique, working on tone quality and breathing. I have time to avoid learning all the great tunes I heard at last-week’s session.
Jigs:
Diplodocus → Coming of Spring → Cat’s Meow
Maids of Selma (Hat tip Marla Finish)
I’ve been working through the Vincent Broderick songbook, as his tunes lie so easily under the fingers on flute:
Rookery
Milky Way
Flagstone of Memories
Crock of Gold
New tunes for me include:
Molly Eamonn Mor (hat tip Jem) (E-dor or else D-dor)
12 Pins
9 Points of Roguery
Providence → Roscommon
Palmer’s Gate → Ormond Sound
Across the Black River → Devlin’s (Eminor)
I’ve also been working up tunes in flat keys like:
Hole in the Hedge (jig)
Paddy Fahey Jig #1 in G-minor
Paddy Fahey Reel #1 in D-minor → Lad O’Beirnes (in F - beautiful)
NeckBelly #2
Annika’s Butterfly (Sharon Shannon)
Eileen Curran (Okay in G-dor, Easy in A-dor)
J.B. Reel (Tough in G-dor. Easier in E-dor)
Road To the Glen (Even tougher)
Brown Coffin → Good Natured Man (Easy enough in Eb/F)
“City of Savannah” was the last one I learned. Before that “The Churchstreet Polka” and “The Green Mountain”. And also revisiting some older ones and trying to improve them, like “Cooley’s”.
Oh yes, that’s another one I need to add to my list. thanks for the reminder!
Nobody in my area plays it, but there’s a great version on the Slyvain Barou album “The Last Days Off Fall”. I’ll never play it THAT fast… I love Sylvain’s flute playing, but he gets a bit carried away sometimes. Anyway, a great tune.
No lockdown here in Sweden, apart from sessions, concerts, festivals, sports events, anything with more than 50 people in a confined space. But I’m at home anyway as I’ve retired. These past few weeks I’ve been playing tunes I haven’t played for a long time, rediscovering them so to say. Trying out new sets of tunes. Saw Liam O’Flynn on youtube playing Humours of Carrigholt, Mayor Harrison’s fedora and Tommy Peples as a set. Also trying to fine-hone tunes such as Flood on the holm, Lily of the valley, Glen road to Carrick. Learning some new tunes such as Black Pat’s, Splendid isolation, Waiting for a call, The flowing bowl to name a few. So many tunes out there, a never ending supply, thank goodness.
I’m splitting time between flute and banjo. Thankfully, plenty of time to split.
Having not played or listened to ITM much in the past 15 years I’m hearing lots of new stuff, which is fun. I’m trying to learn some tunes from albums I’m only just hearing now, including by Tommy Fitzharris in A Bank of Turf
There’s a man here with crutches/ Tom Ahearne’s / The Holly Spoon (I fell in love with Tom Ahearne’s!) The flower of the flock / The Mason’s Apron (the second tune is micho russell’s simpler version, not the matt molloy four part monster)
And Brendan Mulholland, from Music in the Glen:
The Golden Eagle / Around the room and mind the dresser / The Three Sisters
‘Ann Maguire’s Silver Wedding’, and some other tunes off McCusker’s ‘Yella Hoose’ and ‘Goodnight Ginger’. And ‘The Auld Pipe’. I’ve been too busy to play until the last couple of days; teacher, flat out trying to figure out technology, and getting stuff online.
